"Remember, remember the 5th of November..." is a phrase that British schoolchildren learn in conjunction with the history of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Briefly, a fellow named Guy Fawkes and several Catholic co-conspirators plotted to blow up Parliament that year. The plot was discovered, and ended in execution for all the conspirators. (For more information, check out what Wikipedia has to say.) Ever since that year, the British people "remember" this event by holding bonfires and shooting fireworks off across the country. Typically, an effigy of Guy Fawkes is placed on the bonfire as well.
To see what all the hubbub was about, we went to a Bonfire Night in nearby Grafham. It was a relatively small event, which we paid a couple of pounds each to enter. They had a large bonfire going when we arrived, and had a couple of carnival rides outside and a food area within the municipal building on site. It was (again) quite muddy, but we enjoyed people-watching and sipping some hot mulled wine before the fireworks started. One benefit to the early sunset at this time of year in England (at the winter solstice, the sun sets at 3:47 pm!) is that fireworks can take place quite early in the evening. If I remember correctly, they started at 7 pm at this particular town's event.
We had prepped Charlotte quite a bit for her first fireworks show, mostly by showing her a few YouTube videos and talking about how loud they can be. Luckily, although the show was quite impressive for a small town, the fireworks weren't particularly booming and she seemed to really enjoy watching them without fear. We were proud of her!
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| Enjoying the bonfire with a few hundred locals |
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| "Whoa, those are bright!" |
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